Ayan Majumdar

Digital funerals

In today’s world, it is very common that apart from the physical lives we live, most of us have a digital life through the internet. Whether through the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, whether through various posts we generate via comments or blogs, whether we simply “like” things expressing our feelings, we simply cannot deny the fact that we lead another life in a digital virtual format. Within this digital life, we undergo the same emotions, ups and downs of life which are vented through the very actions we perform through digital transactions. This might feel difficult to perceive, but I bet that if you are given access to all internet activities a person does in his / her lifetime, it will not be difficult to profile a person which will very well reflect the person. Even a layman can do the profiling, given the data and opportunity.

So, if we lead a “life” in another format, my question is what will happen when the person is no more in the real world and hence all transactions stop in the digital world? I am sure there has to be a conclusive end to the virtual life in the similar way we have a conclusive end to the physical life of that person. Otherwise the internet will be over populated with the footprint of millions of people, with the left overs of so many human beings and the cycle of “life” will come to a stop.

I personally believe that digital funeral services, digital graveyard services will come up soon whereby a small place in the internet will be dedicated to the person and all other presence in the virtual world will either be inherited by that persons descendants or destroyed through some service, as unlike the real world, there is no natural wear and tear or dissolution of the footprints created in the virtual world.

I am not sure whether such services are already there, but will not be surprised if there are many service providers in the near future doing businesses by providing honourable funeral services, just like in real life the equivalent exists. So, who says that death is just the end – it may be the beginning of another set of activities and if that happens, then we will complete the circle of life in the virtual world as well!